


Only A Dream

by flyingdutchman



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Flying Dutchman, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Married Couple, Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, POST DMTNT, Pirates of the Caribbean References, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 23:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14555706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingdutchman/pseuds/flyingdutchman
Summary: The next morning after Will and Elizabeth reunite, is not as joyful as one might think. (POST DMTNT)





	Only A Dream

_It had been more than twenty years_.

Yet, they had met again, longer than a day. It was something to get used to.

It was the morning after the curse was lifted. Elizabeth was dressed in a neat frilly shirt with dark trousers she had purchased from the port of Shipwreck Cove. Will was no longer wearing the burgundy top, dark vest, and bandana he’d worn for the work on the dutchman. He was in another billowy dressing, with a beige top, and his dark hair was brought up in a ponytail.

Elizabeth was in their living room tidying up every chair and cabinet she could find. The windows were soaking wet from the thunderstorm that adorned the island that last night. Will, who finally was awake by now, was walking down the stairs. She heard him, and quickly rushed until Will finally got to her. He gave her a sweet smile and then went closer to the window, and Elizabeth followed.

“It’s a beautiful day,.. isn’t it.” Will said, staring down the window in which the sea was in view. He had one arm rested onto the wall and was leaning slightly, as though looking for something. Will missed looking at the sea, but not being submerged in it. It had a subtle fantasy to it, curiosity. Elizabeth was smiling, her once golden locks, now dyed dark brunette by a tea mix. She reached out and took his hand.

“Yes.”, she looked to him and continued , “Yes it is.”. She was nervous for him, the storm that battered their cabin that night woke up Will. Emotively, she felt the urge to prod him about it.

“How was last night?” She asked, taking one of the rags she was cleaning with earlier, and drowning it into a bucket. Will was startled by that, but before he could answer she spoke again.

“You woke up near midnight?”

He smiled a little, and looked down trying to hide the growing smirk. He was surprised she had noticed, and yet he was embarrassed that she did. He bit his lip to stop breaking the seriousness.

“Just a storm, just like any storm.”, Will replied quickly, enthusiastically trying to change the subject.  
She knew his tone, and she knew he wasn’t telling her everything.

“You’re lying.”, she assumed, grabbing a hold of his hand, then moving closer, “You can tell me anything.. Will”.

He paused and looked away while something roared in him not to tell her, not to worry her, but he couldn’t lead the voice to engulf him. He looked her straight in the eyes; his face masked with fear.  
“Davy Jones.”, he murmured.

Silence crept into their space. Elizabeth shivered slightly but kept it under control so Will hadn’t noticed. She hadn’t heard that name in years, nor did she want to. She hated Jones, despised him even, and all she seeked was revenge. He was dead! Or she thought he was. So she broke the silence once again, “What about Davy Jones?”, She paused, “I thought-“.

“It was just a dream!” He snapped softly, while furrowing his eyebrows, “Only a dream.”

She stopped looking at him, and took a coat to put on a iron ring hanger. Will felt the discussion had no more to talk about.

“I love you.”, Will mumbled with a small smile. He tried to bring her away from the subject. However, his plan was was stopped when Elizabeth turned to him again. He hated this, he despised himself to make her fear for him. It was not enough to replenish her wonder and trepidation.

“What did Jones do?”, asked Elizabeth, puzzled. She had ignored that affection.

Will’s face grew dark again, his eyes did not shimmer like before. His mind raced through the scarlet scenarios of the maelstrom, the Kraken, and the Dutchman. He knew her question was of his dream that past night, but he could not help but relive the consequences of the sailor’s torturous deeds. From the moment the blade pierced his chest, he’d be pledged to sail for eternity in Davy Jone’s name. He sailed years and years into the beyond, seeing things he never wanted to see. He didn’t make this choice, destiny did.

But, Elizabeth only asked one question: “What did he do”, and all he thought was “What didn’t he do?”. He knew her intentions were not to bring back the pain, and certainly wasn’t talking about the grand total. But, his anger still welled up, and it was synonymous with his torment.

“What did he do, Will?”, she asked again, worryingly.

Will realized he had gone off again and returned to reality, and started again. She was standing there focusing on him, and had seen his eyes flash in agony. She stepped backwards, holding her arms crossed over her waist.

“He was here.. in.. our room.”, he declared manically. Will paused and took a sharp deliberate breath.  
He didn’t know what Davy Jones had done, even if it wasn’t a dream. Alas the only thing he blinked out was a barnacled claw snapping. Of course, he’d woken up from the lightning. Couldn’t’ve it been something else though? That was the question Will wanted to know.

Will kept quiet as he gazed at the glistening furnace that was to the right of Elizabeth. He had been lost to his thoughts once again. Elizabeth was fuming, but not with anger, but of pity to see how many times he’d been finding himself off topic.

“Will!?” Elizabeth repeated.

He snapped out of it. Elizabeth had watched him thinking, and she knew he did not want to worry her; but she had to know. Too long they had kept their secrets from each other, too long he’d muttered the words “It wasn’t your burden to bear.”.

“It’s not anything of importance.”, he walked closer to her., “Nothing.”.

He leaned in, and she accepted. They embraced softly, and he turned her against the wall. They met each others lips and kissed. The moment was only a little of what she missed. She missed his desire for love, for family, for charity. The real Will.

Like any good moment, this was interrupted with Will’s sudden jolt. Something seared in him violently, but it wasn’t pain. He clutched his heaving chest for a second, and stepped back; trying to keep his actions away from her.

“Are you well?”, Elizabeth gasped, as she watched him tense up.

She looked into his tender eyes, but he didn’t look back. He looked again back to the window behind her, he looked to the sea. The sea had taken him away once again, but not physically. She longed for him to meet her gaze. “Where’s is she?” He mumbled, while turning for the hallway. He avoided her reaction, and didn’t see it either. Will’s entire mood had changed, and his anger was ablaze.

“She-?”, she yelled, wondering if he was seeking some other woman.

“The ship. Where is it.” he roared under his breath, the soft (but harsh) voice rattling her bones.  
She couldn’t take it anymore, and let her burning anger seeth through her soul. Only yesterday, everything was romantically intertwined. Something was changing, and it had changed him now.

“How would I know? It was your settlement for all those years!”, Elizabeth retorted, gasping at what she had just said. She tried to lunge for his arm, wanting to bring him back to her grasp. Will ripped his arm away from her, and stopped walking.

He looked back to her, the pain in his eyes was not endearing. It wasn’t anger, it wasn’t a sparkle of remorse, it wasn’t love. In fact, she couldn’t quite find the emotion that fit it, but she knew he felt it. She could feel the mood shifting faster than the sea itself. She could feel him, but could never understand him.  
“I’m so sorry.”, She stuttered. She knew it now.

Will turned around completely, it was too late for her to take back what she had said. Will didn’t entirely know why he was acting this way. .

“I need to go”, he motioned, going back towards the narrow hallway.

“Go..?? Where!”, She yelled.

She grabbed his arm and turned him towards her again, and begged with her eyes to speak, “Will! Please. Look at me.”, she scolded, “Stop this. You’ve kept enough from me right now!”

“As, you’ve kept a whole lot from me before”, Will hissed lightly, looking down for one second, until turning back. His glare burned into her.

Elizabeth felt horrible, and quite offended. She led her chin up to him and looked at him intently. Every moment crushed her to the pit of her soul. He looked even more mortified.

He was hurt, the same reaction was that of betrayal. _She was no stranger to it_.

Will couldn’t bear it with all the ties flooding back to him. He shook his head and backed away from her. He could feel her sulking in the corner. He had done this. She was rocking back and forth, trying to keep herself grounded.

She needed to break the agonizing silence, and so she managed.  
“Where’s your father?”  
Elizabeth regretted this question, and didn’t even know why she had asked it. She didn’t want to make him feel worse as well. But he reacted, shockingly calm, but sorrowful. He grabbed the sheath that carried his sword and rung it over a wooden chair, then looked back at her.

“I led him to a port.. long while back.”, he consoled, his fist tightened as he hit the table and sat down.  
“I couldn’t even free him how he wanted, Elizabeth.”

She wanted to speak, to take away the pain, but he continued with a look of resentment in his eyes,  
“I ended up bonding you to the curse I brought among myself.”

“It wasn’t your fault”, She stammered, gathering his attention. Her body quivered at the moment he had his attention at her.

He looked her straight in the eyes and spoke. “You should’ve been with him.”

“Him? Another ship-?”. She wondered. She was already driven mad by all the sea terms.

He glanced, then cracked a painful smirk. “Jack. The man whom you read stories about, who you kissed on the mast. You would’ve been free.”, he stood up and turned around, placing his hand on the sheath beside him in the chair. “Unbound from my own heart.”

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep herself from budding in. What was wrong with him? She had never seen this side of him before, not even at the World’s End. He was just so. _Hurt. Different._ Yesterday he was gleaming with a golden smile, and love radiated from him, but this day seemed as though he was still held and cursed to the Dutchman.

“You’re free. We’re free. Will. The curse is broken.”. She tried to remind him, but it only angered him.

“What was my curse.. This?”, “Where’s the ship, Elizabeth.”. Who is the captain?!”

“I don’t know.” She murmured, pulling herself closer to him.

He pushed away once again, and her eyes lost their dryness. He did have sympathy, but he chose not to explore it

_He was someone no one could trust._

It had been less than a day and he was already hurting her. What about the dutchman? Who would captain her? How?

She reacted to his expression, “You’re not going back tonight? to the Dutchman?”.

His thoughts tensed up at the sound of her retorting the name of the dreaded ship. He breathed shallowly.  
“I’m not, not tonight.”

Elizabeth looked over the words she had been reliving in her mind since the Dutchman had claimed his soul. “The dutchman must have a captain.”, she whispered to herself, but Will overheard. She looked up to see him staring at her.  
He smirked sadly, but glanced at her with love. The horror she had to face for years, the childhood of his son he had missed, and he himself becoming part of the ship.  
He had lost hope before. He could not abandon his post, and stay here forever. He would end up just like Jones, and he’d sworn to be better.

Elizabeth felt cold, her vicous thoughts angered her, and she wasn’t angry. She was drowned in her own misery of having her hopes up to have the same love they did with none of Jack’s horrendous adventures pulling them in.

She saw it on his face and resumed, “You’re going back.”. She flailed her arms and pointed to the window.“Yesterday. It meant nothing to you!”  
She blurted, confused and wretched. “And I waited 23 years for you to just go.. Back?”

He gritted his teeth, and swung himself around.  
“I can’t. I can’t stay here.” Will lamented. He walked up to her and looked over and down at the furnace again.

She continued, “Will. Will please.”  
He looked up, the rawness of pain glued onto his face.

“You should’ve left. You could of-“, he threatened, pausing for a moment.

“Don’t you say that.”, she replied fumingly.

“I can’t leave the dutchman forever. I was sworn to it for eternity”.

“Fate decided what it did”, he whispered loudly, looking down.

Elizabeth gasped, “But, Henry brought you back! You are going to be back.”

Will sighed, knowing what she was hoping for. But he knew in the dull ache in place of his heart, that it wasn’t going to go the way she wanted. He had learned he couldn’t control what he’d been doomed to do many years ago.

“Don’t leave me.” She paused and looked up to his eyes, “Again.”. She grabbed his hand, seeking peace, and he answered her.  
“I wo-”.  
His reply was cut off by a large crash behind Elizabeth.

His sheath, which was mantled on a chair, had fallen from the small leather hook and onto the floor. He tried to move towards it, but Elizabeth stood in his way.  
“Calm down”, she pleaded, cupping his face. He wouldn’t budge. His eyes were so torn on such a small thing.  
“Let me pick it up. Please”, Will insisted.

“Hush.”, she soothed. She had become close to him once more, but it was different. She cradled him and lay her head on his shoulder, and it was their first moment of solidarity. Will was still tense, and his hands were trembling, but he knew that she was his safety.

His mind flashed to the next possible thing.

“Where’s the chest?” He asked, slipping from her grip.

Why did he want the chest? He’d never asked to see it before and they’d casually avoided that topic on those two meetings they cherished.

“It’s in our room.”

He shuddered, and decided to ask, “Can I see it?”. It was not of curiosity that Will had asked about it now, it was of fear.

-

They stormed the splintered and wet stairs. Elizabeth led the way until they met one more hallway, a dark door, the one that was the opening to their room, was open.  
This reminded her of something.

“Will. Did you open the door last night?

She looked to him, and he looked back confused. “No.”

“Perhaps it was the wind”

She took Will’s hand once more and led him to the bed. A breeze flowed gently through the curtain.  
“Next time, don’t leave the window open.”, She scorned softly, her eyes gleamed with a smile.  
He smiled back and sat on the bed, picking up a coat he had left there that last night.

“Elizabeth?”, he asked.

“Yes?”, She nodded. She sat down next to her husband, and caressed his arm. She was thankful that he’d stopped his arguing.

“Henry. He’s awful lot like you.”, Will uttered. His expression hardened. “I’d hate for him to end up like-.”

“He’s just, stubborn.”, Elizabeth affirmed. She grabbed a few letters from the desk and ruffled through them.” “Besides, he’s always been like that. He won’t stop fighting for something until it’s over with.”, she put the letters on the bed, “Just, like his father.”.

Will smiled a little, but the melancholy of the unknown begrudged him.

“So… The chest is where?”  
“What’s your haste?”, she said, slightly groaning.  
She was right, he had nothing to worry about..right?: he couldn’t let the anxiety in him get the best of him.

“It’s under the bed.”, she fretted, getting down to her knees next to the bed. She swiped her hair out of her face and bent down.

Something was off, terribly off. Will had felt it from the morn.

_ It wasn’t there. _

She slammed herself against the cabinet. She had one job. One job! Fear began to erupt within her, her hatred for herself enveloped her.

“Elizabeth?..What’s wrong?”, he demanded, moving her over to the side, as he lowered himself to the floor.

She didn’t answer.

Elizabeth began to tear up, burying her head into her knees. She was not a child anymore, but she couldn't help but act like one. “I promise you. It was there!” She choked between sobs, lunging for an explanation.

Will knew she wasn’t to blame. Ice had seeped into his veins, and his memory blurred his vision. The future felt dimmed. Dying twice. Oh a pleasure that would be, although now, it could seem to be by the same hand killing him.

Will was vulnerable once again. The immortal captain of the Flying Dutchman, now in the same place as the one before was; Danger. He knew that the act of threatening would be scarce and horrid, whoever had his heart could do anything they wanted by the art of extortion.

“Barnacles.”, he glowered, feeling the damp wooden planks. This could only mean one person, the one monster who had plunged and twisted the sword of his own craftsmanship into him. If there was anyone who’d kill him again without hesitation, it was Jones.  
It wasn’t a dream or vision that prevailed Will after the traumatizing ship, it was the actual being himself. He had taken the chest in the moonlight that past night.

“Davy Jones!” he chided, slamming his fist onto the floor and sitting against the frame.

The horror spread onto Elizabeth. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth but covered it with her hand. Will looked to her, his eyes in a blank and terrifying stare.

-

On the flying dutchman, a shadow emerged from the captain’s quarters. A octopus like figure manifested into the sunlight, the tentacles moving rampantly. He spoke knowing Will could hear him from someplace,

“Master Turner, you have a debt to pay. Hahaha!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this piece, and tell me your thoughts in the comments!
> 
> This takes place after the post credit sequence of Dead Men Tell No Tales.
> 
> \- In this story, Will still has his heart in the chest.  
> \- In this story, he's still the captain of the dutchman.  
> \- In this story, Jones is revived by Calypso because of being killed of a curse, and all curses were broken.


End file.
